Game Thread PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2, GAME 5: BLAZERS @ NUGGETS - MAY 7, 2019 - TUESDAY, 7:30 PM, TNT

Better analogy than you think.

 

Honestly I used to be, but maybe its just priorities or time, or whatever but I find myself less inclined to watch sports when I just dont care who wins. Now I still do it because I like basketball but not nearly like I did 5-10 years ago.

 

As to poll, Toronto, Milwaukee, Philly, Boston, Denver, Houston, GSW

Toronto never won, followed by East teams in order of when last won or were serious contenders. West, tough. Denver because they haven't won, Houston because I am sick of being surrounded by GSW bandwagoners.

 

I very much enjoy the game, which is a big reason why I don't like watching the NBE outside of the Blazers. It's all about how much they can glorify chosen stars and drive up their profits. That bores the hell out of me and I have no interest in supporting that product. Whenever I'm stuck watching a non-Blazer game I find myself rolling my eyes at the constant BS and simply do not enjoy myself. I have loved and watched the Blazers all my life, so I will continue to support them. I had a ton more fun watching the NCAA tournament even if the talent level is much lower, than any pro game not involving the Blazers.

 

LMAO, please don't get arrested for trying to play with children you don't know.

 

This guy from Ringer points out what we all know; teams leave Aminu wide open so we are always playing 4 against five. He suggests trying to always have a third shooter in there; either Hood or Curry. Makes sense since it feels like they have been our two most efficient scorers; why not play them more? Although he talks about Aminu; actually he suggests a small ball lineup that leaves Harkless out. Collins (or Kanter), Aminu, Lillard, CJ and Hood or Curry. He points out that, at least in this series, a lineup with Lillard and Collins does very well. He considers Collins a shooter which I guess is true, although not a very good one, right? also he would foul out if he played any more.
I think Aminu would guard Jokic, which I think would be OK; I haven't really seen Jokic muscle anyone.

Here is his whole spiel:
Denver Is Making Sure Dame Time Is Off Schedule
During the long regular season, teams do little or even no preparation game to game. There’s not enough time to practice and implement a game plan like an NFL team
game. There’s not enough time to practice and implement a game plan like an NFL team can over a full week, or a baseball pitcher can for his next scheduled start. Individual player weaknesses and tendencies receive less attention and can often go ignored. In the playoffs, however, every flaw is under a microscope and teams will prepare to exploit them. On Sunday, the Nuggets beat the Trail Blazers to tie the series 2-2, and once again, Damian Lillard wasn’t hitting his usual deep 3s and daggers.

Denver has limited Lillard all series, holding the All-NBA point guard to 27.3 points per game with a 55.1 true shooting percentage, down from 33 points and 62.4 percent last round. Gary Harris has done well fighting over screens in order to breathe down Lillard’s neck on his pull-up jumpers, and Nikola Jokic has been serviceable dropping to the paint to deter Lillard from getting to the rim. Jokic has help, though.

The Nuggets are treating Al-Farouq Aminu like he doesn’t exist when he spots up in the corner and clogging the lane for Lillard’s drives. In both clips above, Aminu is wide open only because his defender, Paul Millsap, is plopped in the paint to halt Lillard’s drive. The Blazers’ spacing in the second play is poor regardless because Moe Harkless is in the left dunker’s spot rather than spotting up behind the 3-point arc. That reflects one of Portland’s biggest issues: a lack of reliable shooters at the forward spots.

Harkless has shot 32.6 percent from 3 in his four seasons and playoffs with the Blazers, while Aminu shot just 35.7 percent over that same time frame. While they aren’t liabilities like Andre Roberson or Tony Allen, the Nuggets have been willing to give up those shots to those players if it means containing Lillard.

One lineup tweak the Blazers could make is using a small backcourt of Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Seth Curry or Rodney Hood more frequently. That would give Portland a trio of shooters and Aminu, alongside a shooting center in Zach Collins, or another non-shooter like Enes Kanter. The Blazers have had some success in doing this: They have outscored the Nuggets by 17.8 points per 100 possessions when Lillard is on the floor with Collins, and they get outscored by 7.3 when Lillard is paired with Kanter. Though the sample size with Collins is only 39 minutes, it would be worth trying more considering its promising results so far.

Much like in the clip above from early in Game 4, Aminu could instead hang around the dunker’s spot, where he would be available for dump-off passes and ready to attack the offensive boards:

Or Lillard could simply start hitting perimeter shots again. They’re available, and he’s taking them. But Lillard has hit just 25.7 percent of his 3s and just 35 percent of his midrange attempts this series. During the regular season, Lillard hit 36.9 percent of his 3s and 46.1 percent of his midrange attempts. The NBA playoffs often require major system changes, as we’ve seen in these playoffs, but a lot of the time, it just comes down to which team performs at the higher level. The Blazers and Nuggets are tied at two games apiece, despite Lillard’s underperforming. If Dame Time hits soon, Denver will be the team in need of an adjustment.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/5/6/18530803/nba-playoffs-adjustments-second-round

 

Game time is after sunset so Aminu and Kanter will be able to eat before game.

 

I am so excited for tomorrow nights game, Im gonna miss the start but this game is huge for both teams and Ive really enjoyed the competitiveness these two teams play with!

 

I have a funny feeling both WC semifinal series are going 7, so “lucky” for the NBA.

 

I'll say this: after watching a couple of the GSW/Rocket games, and how those two teams are officiated, if the Blazers somehow manage to advance to the WCF, a whole bunch of heads will explode around here about the whistles. I mean, totally detonate, with malice, bile, venom, and spleen blasting everywhere and coating everything

 

I also thought we should be trying to get their bigs in foul trouble

 

Blazers will have to outplay Nugs by 20 to win by 3. Just like the final OKC game.

I'm not sure our guys have enough in the tank right now to pull that off.

I pray they do.

 

In my younger years, I watched all those big games. Now I schedule and force time for the Blazers. I don't miss a game. That takes up a lot of my free time. I don't force time to watch other teams, although I'll make an effort to scout our next potential playoff opponent. If I'm chilling and there happens to be a game on, I'll check it out. But if it's a boring game or something else comes up, I'm out. Sometimes priorities change.

 

My priorities have totally changed. Thanks good for the DVR!

 

This. Also, other things in life have become more important or take up more time. Watching the Lakers the 50 times they are on national TV even when they suck rotten donkey balls is not entertaining. Neither is watching players like Harden flop around without ever getting a watning or Draymond scream obscenities at the refs almost every game and not get T'd up.

It's turned into WWE work a ball. The fact Scott Foster still has a job is about all you need to know in regards to that.

 

Yep, and the League seems to be more interested in glorifying a certain Euro in Denver than an All NBA player in Portland.

 

Stotts really, really needs to tighten his rotation. This bullshit of gifting the Nuggets 12mpg of Turner has to end. Turner's +/- isn't terrible, but you have to remember he's getting a lot of minutes when Jokic is out. Portland needs to absolutely feast during that critical time.

Keep CJ in there to run backup PG, and give more burn to Hood. He's at 23mpg in the series, and if he takes all Turner's minutes he goes up to 35mpg.

Aminu's shooting has been horrible in this series, and it's a massive difference-maker. I don't know that there's anything you can do, though. He's by far our best individual defender. *shrug* Cross your fingers.

Collins is averaging 7.7 fouls per 36 min in the playoffs. That's silly. He does such an excellent job of shutting down the paint, though. I think if Aminu's shot isn't falling yet again you have to sub him out for Collins more. It just feels like Collins can do more on the court on the offensive end than Aminu at this point.

 

Aminu is a trash offensiv player. He shouldn't be in the starting 5 on a playoff team with high ambitions, but collins isn't the solution. More Hood could be very helpfull for our offense

 

I agree about eliminating all of Turner's minutes. He shouldn't set foot on the floor. It's crazy how useless he is.

But disagree about Collins for Aminu. I'd do Layman instead.